Process for producing crepe effects in textiles



Patented May 7, 1940 PROCESS FOR PRODUCING CREPE EFFECTS IN TEXTILES Paul Schlack, Berlin-'Treptow, Germany, assignor to I. G. Farbenindnstrie Aktiengesellsch'aft,

Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany No Drawing. Application September 15, 1937, Serial No. 163,922. In Germany September 30,

1936 6 Claims.

My present invention relates to a process of producing crepe effects in fabrics of cellulose ester silk. r

It is an object of the present invention to prepare a fabric which will easily yield a good crepe effect by inter-weaving with the cellulose ester threads, threads containing besides a cellulose ester apolymeric hydrophile component.

A further object of the invention is to provide 10 a process by which the creping of a fabric of this kind may be effected economically and easily.

Further objects will be apparent from the detailed description following hereafter.

While it is easy to produce a good crepe effect with threads of regenerated cellulose of suitable high twist, there is considerable difliculty when the crepe yarn used is made from hydrophobe material, particularly acetyl cellulose. As acetate silk is only little capable of swelling, the crepe threads producedfrom this material have only a slight capacity for contraction, so that without chemical assistants (swelling agents) good crepe effects are only obtained with comparatively coarse and voluminous yarns and in rather coarse 5 tissue. Furthermore, the hydrophobe artificial silk cannot stand such a high degree of twist as can be imparted to threads of regenerated cellulose. Attempts have been made indeed to impart the lacking swelling'by means of organic swelling agents of strong action while avoiding as far as possible any peptisation. However, the effects obtainable in this manner are not very satisfactory, quite apart from the high price of these agents; and the risk incurred intheir use.

5 creping by adding to the threads in the course of their production water-soluble substances of high tendency of dissolution, for example glycerine, calcium lactate or citric acid. The production of such threads is, however, beset with difficulties Moreover, an effect is obtained only under certain conditions, which cannot always be realized in the many cases which occur in practice. For example, it is not possible to obtain a useful crepe effect if the warp has been dressed 45 with oxidized linseed oil and correspondingly softens only gradually in the de-sizing bath.

Finally, it hasbeen recommended that acetate artificial silk threads should be subjected to a partial saponification to produce cellulose before the crepe twisting. This process, however, is of little interest, since it involves all the troubles experienced in dyeing mixed fabrics having acetate artificial silk in the warp and viscose crepe 55 in the weft.

It has also been proposed to assist the filed September '15, 1937.

'esses are applicable. The artificial silk threads By this invention essentially better results are produced by making crepe yarn from spinning solutions which have as their main component, for example, acetyl cellulose or ethyl cellulose and oneor more polymeric components of high 5 molecular weight and soluble in organic solvents which have a more highly marked hydrophile character than that of the main component or have attained a strongly hydrophile character by a treatment, before or after the crepe twisting, with, for example, a hydrolyzing, alkylating or aminating agent. Good crepe effects may be obtained with such threads even without the addition of neutral organic swelling agents such as alcohol, acetone or methylene-chloride, especially if care is taken in creping the fabric that before the main component is softened the additional component is caused to swell or is brought into a state in which it is very ready to swell. In this case there occurs at the beginning of the softening of the fiber an increase of volume due to the pressure of the swelling of the additional component, and this has as a consequence a corresponding contraction. Such contraction may be, for example, 5-20 per cent of the original length of the thread. I

For this invention suitable additional substances are, for example, those described in U. S. patent application Ser. Nos. 41,500, filed Sepember 20, 1935, now U. S. Patent 2,142,007, dated December 2'7, 1938,. and also British Patents 455,- 602, dated October 19, 1936, and 459,711, dated January 8, 1937. 1

Further reference may be made to my copending U. S. patent application Ser. No. 163,921, The points of view there expressed have value also in the present invention.

In the manufacture of cre'pe yarn several procat the end of their production without an aqueous intermediate treatment may be given the necessary twist in one or more stages, preferably after preliminary dressing with, for instance, linseed oil. In another procedure the threads,

. particularly when a rapid. shrinkage is desired,

may betreated before the twisting with a hydrophile agent, if desired directly following the spinning process and in combination with the,

usual preparation of the threads at this stage. This hydrophile effect may be imparted to the threads having acid or latentacid groups (anhydride groups) if the threads are treated with an agent of alkaline action, such as soap, borax, triethanolamine, sodium acetate; tetramethylammonium acetate. In the case of threads having basic groups, the pretreatment should be carried out with agents having a hydrophile anion, for instance lactic acid, tartaric acid, citric acid, hydrosulfocyanic acid or the salts of such acids. Such treatments may be applied to the goods in the skein or quite easily also to wound threads, for instance on twisting reels, in suitable apparatus. It'is recommended to twist the hydrophile threads at a comparatively high atmospheric moisture or even in wet condition or in presence of steam.

Even if imparting hydrophile properties necessitates a stronger attack than is produced by simple neutralization of acid or basic groups or with'exchange of ions at such groups, for instance the elimination of an anhydride group, that is to say if a denitrating or an alkylating or an aminating action is necessarythe latter may be applied before or after the crepe twisting or even 'only after the fabric has been de-sized, if de-sizing is necessary. The process, therefore,

presents a considerable play and is well suited for the changing requirements of practice.

A hydrophobe effect may be imparted for instance by treating an acetate artificial silk having an addition of. a mixed polymerizate of maleic anhydride with the aid of a cation active textile assistant, for example dodecyl-trimethyl-ammonium chloride, octodecyl-trimethylammonium chloride or acetate, or a treatment of an acetate artificial silk with a content of polyacrylic acid-w-diethylamino-ethylamide' with lauric acid or sodium dodecyl-sulfate' comes in question if the twisting process occurs in a dry atmosphere or if the shrinkage of the crepe is to be only gradual'and slow. In the case of fibrous materials having basic additions stable to alkali, it may here be stated that the creping may preferably occur in an acid bath. In the creping especially in the case of crepe threads having as a component a mixed poly'merizate with maleic anhydride, the procedure may be such that the goods are first suspended for 40-50 hours in book form in .the alkaline desizing liquor, for example in a solution containing 5 grams of soap and 2 grams of borax per litre and-then, by raising the temperature of the bath or passing the goods into a second hotter bath, the creping is completed. This kind of creping gives particularly uniform results, especially if the goods have been embossed in the usual manner before the wet treatment.

The creping or shrinking effects may also be local if the substances which lend the hydrophile character favouring the shrinkage be printed on the fabric as a pattern intermixed with suitable thickening agents.

The. following examples illustrate the invention, the parts being by weight:

Example 1 A solution of 90 parts of acetyl cellulose having 54.5 per cent of combined acetic acid, 10 parts of the. mixed polymerizate from 1 mol vinyl chloride and 1 mol maleic anhydride in 300 parts of acetone is spun by the dry spinning process and is prepared at the spinning cell with a solution of triethanolamine oleate and crystal oil (mineral oil fraction of a boiling point of 150-180 C.) The non-steamed silk which is obtained, suffers a shrinkage of about 10 per cent of its length by prolonged action of a soap solution of 0.5 per cent shrinkage at -80 CQ With a still h g er temperature the shrinkage rises to as es be 15 per cent. For producing crepe yarn the artificial silk thus obtained in a thickness 'of about 150 to 300 deniers is sized with a solution of 75 per cent of linseed oil and 25 per cent of blown rape oil in crystal oil, and directly afterwards, before the oil is dry, is twisted to the extent of 2200 to 1600 turns per meter.- If this material is used with right and left twist, for example each two threads having right twist and each two threadsleft twist, as the weft in a crepe warp of ordinary acetate artificial silk, there is obtained, after the usual impressing in a calender, by the wet treatment a good crepe eifect. The creping is best carried out at 40-80 C. in presence of 6 grams of soap and- 10 grams of urea per liter of liquor. If the fabric is dyed at a low temperature with basic dyestuffs, for instance Coelestin Blue B (Schultz, Farbstofitabellen, Vol. I, page 439), the weft is strongly dyed, whereas the warp is only feebly tinted or, in case of the said dyestuif, remains quite white. The fabric is finally finished by an acid treatment.

Example 2- Into a warp sized with linseed oil and having 55 threads per cm. of titre 75 of ordinary acetate silk is woven in a density of 22 threads per cm. alternatingly with two threads of right twist After dyeing with 3 per cent of Cellitone Fast Blue B. (Schultz, Farbstofftabellen, Vol. II, page 45) the goods are thoroughly acidified and finished with 2.5 per cent of octadecyl-trimethyl-' ammonium chloride in presence of sodium acetate and acetic acid. The fabric which has been stretched by per cent of its original breadth shows a good crepe efi'ect.

' Example 3 A warp of ordinary acetate artificial silk of deniers dressed with a glue-urea-size on a warp sizing machine is woven alternately with two crepe threads of 200 deniers with 1750 right turns and left turns respectively, which consist of 90 per cent acetyl cellulose and 10 per cent of polyvinyl ehloracetate. After passage through the calenders the fabric is suspended for amination of the artificial resin in an atmosphere of pyridine at 70 C. over night. By passage through a bath heated to 40 C. and containing grams of acetic acid per liter there is obtained a strong crepe eflect.

- Example 4 from vinyl ethylether and maleic anhydride and 5 per cent of polyvinyl 'chloracetate. The crepe yarn is aminated before weaving by exposure to a pyridine atmosphere. By de-sizing the impressed goods by means of a liquor containing 7 grams of soap per liter at 40-75 C. a crepe effect is obtained.

What I claim is: 1. A process of producing crepe effects, which comprises weaving alternatingly organic cellu.- lose ester threads and organic cellulose ester threads having incorporated and fixed within the body of the filament a polymeric hydrophile addition product increasing the swelling capacity of said organic ester threads and selected from the group consisting of polymerizedvinyl ethers, polymerizatesv and mixed polymerizates containing a-p-unsaturated acids, mixed poly.- merizates from maleic acid anhydride and vinyl compounds, alkyd. resins containing free acid groups, ester-acids :of polymeric hydroxy-compounds, polymerizates of the vinyl series containing basic nitrogen, basic amides of polymerized acrylic acids, polymeric alkylene imines, and mixtures of these substances and heating the resulting fabric in an aqueous bath.

2. A process of producing crepe effects, whichv comprises weaving alternatingly organic cellulose ester threads and organic cellulose ester threads having incorporated and fixed within the body of the filament a polymeric hydrophile addition product increasing the swelling capacity of said organic ester threads and selected from the group consisting of polymerized vinyl ethers, polymerized and mixed polymerizates containing owe-unsaturated acids, mixed polymerizates from maleic acid anhydride and vinyl compounds, alkyd resins containing free acid groups,

ester-acids of polymeric hydroxy-compounds',

polymerizates of the vinyl series containing ethers, polymerizates and mixed polymerizates containing a-p-unsaturated acids, mixed polymerizates from maleic acid anhydride and vinyl compounds, alkyd resins containing free acid groups, ester-acids of polymeric hydroxy-compounds, polymerizates of the vinyl series containing basic nitrogen, basic amides of polymerized acrylic acids; polymeric alkylene imines, and mixtures of these substances and heating the resulting fabric in an aqueous bath capable or swelling said polymeric addition product and softening the cellulose ester threads at a temperature of from about 40 C. to the boiling point of said bath.

4. A process of producing crepe effects, which comprises weaving alternatingly organic cellulose ester threads and organic cellulose ester threads having incorporated and fixed within the body of the filament a hydrophile polymeric addition product increasing the swelling capacity of said organic ester threads and selected from the group consisting of polymerized vinyl ethers,

polymerizates and mixed polymerizates contain:

ing a-fl-unsaturated acids, mixed polymerizates from maleic acid anhydride and vinyl compounds, alkyd resins containing free acid groups,

ester-acids of polymeric hydroxy-comp'ounds,

polymerizates of the vinyl series containing basic nitrogen, basic amides of polymerized acrylic acids, polymeric alkylene imines, and mixtures of these substances, treating the resulting'fa-bric with the solution of an ion, which enhances.

the hydrophile character of the said additional .component, and heating said fabric in an aqueous bath containing an agent capable of swelling said polymeric addition product and softening the cellulose ester threads at a temperature of from about 40 C. to the boiling point of said bath.

5. A process of producing crepe effects, which comprises weaving alternatingly organic cellulose ester threads and organic cellulose ester threads having incorporated and fixed within the body of the filaments a mixed polymerizate from maleic acid anhydride with a vinyl-alkyl ether, treating said material with an aqueous solution of an alkaline reacting salt, and heat ing said textile material in an aqueous liquid capable of swelling said polymerizate and of softening said organiccellulose ester threads at a temperature of from about 40 C. to the boilingpoint of said aqueous liquid.

6. A process of producing crepe effects, which comprises weaving alternatingly organic cellu lose ester threads and organic cellulose ester threads .having incorporated and fixed within the body of the filaments an animated polymerized vinyl halide, treating the resulting fabric with an aqueous solution of an organic acid,- which yields soluble salts together with amines, and heating said iabricin an aqueous liquid containing an agent capable of swelling said polymerizedcomponent and of softening said organic cellulose ester threads at a temperature of from about 40 C. to the boiling point of said aqueous liquid.

PAUL SCH'LACK. 

